Abstract
Formula One motorsport is a flourishing enterprise with an annual turnover approaching £2 billion and employing up to 25 000 people in engineering in the UK. It has grown from modest roots with no central planning but is now at the forefront of technical development. The enterprise is based principally in the UK with exports running at over 50% of turnover. Many of the technical advances and improved safety features can be traced to the use of new materials and they are described in detail. The growth of Formula One manufacturing over the past 50 years has coincided with a decline in volume car production in the UK. The possibility of using the success of Formula One as a way of both improving the status of engineers and providing lessons for manufacturing industry in general is discussed.
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